I wish someone had told me about the importance of active and positive parenting.

“I wish someone had told me” is a series of posts that feed into our inquisitive nature at CN&CO. Each week we hear from someone in our network about something interesting or surprising that’s recently happened or occurred to them – or lessons they learnt. These blogs are a way to pay it forward and form part of CN&CO’s belief that the world can be a better place – and we all have a responsibility to make it so. This week’s post is by Jane Linley-Thomas, radio personality from East Coast Radio and business owner of JLT and Kindness Facilitator at Kindness Can, this blog tells the story of Jane’s promise to her boys.

“A Mother’s promise for her sons.

I promise to raise my sons to love, cherish, protect and respect themselves, so that they can do the same for others.

I promise to call them out when they do wrong, raise their voices or hands to anyone smaller than them and most especially if it’s a girl. 
We have a NO tolerance rule in our home, our boys know you never hit a lady or anyone smaller then you ever regardless of the reason. 
I promise to talk to my boys about their feelings and navigate them through hard moments of rage, insecurity and sadness.

I promise to raise my boys so that they learn to call out the bully, stand up for the underdog and fight for justice.

I promise to continue to drive home how important respect, manners and being kind are.

I promise to do my best daily in raising boys who will be men who can be safe harbors for those they love dearly and for those who they don’t even know.

I promise to watch my tone, words and actions because I know they are watching how it’s done.

How I wish Mikes Mom was here so I could thank her.

Thank her for raising a man amongst men, a man who this morning under his breath said to the boys ‘go and kiss your beautiful mom goodbye’ as they left for school. A man who is kind, considerate and in touch with his feelings. A man who keeps me safe.

I promise to continue to invest into our boys so that they can flourish with tender care and courage, this I promise.”

By Jane Linley Thomas

Here is a recording of Jane reading this poem to her audience on East Coast Radio this weekend

Listen here

Well done Jane, I could not agree more. Having just given birth to my first boy child my narrative as a mother shifts, from raising two girls to be free, but safe and aware of their bodies and the rights that come with the territory, to staring into Harry’s face at 3am, thinking about the responsibility I have as his mother to raise a man who is kind, who is going to respect women, and protect them. This poem comes at a poignant time in our history as a country and in my own personal journey as a mother.

Please get in touch with Jane to book your Kindness Can workshop, for your business, your corporate, your school, your mates, or just yourself. Jane hosts these powerful kindness workshops across the country and having been to one myself I can vouch for the profoundly positive impact these sessions can have on a group. There is no better time than now to spread the word of kindness across our country.